News Analysis India

Tag: international film festival of India

  • Happy to be on my way to airport now: Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid

    By Express News Service

    Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, whose comments against “The Kashmir Files” has stirred up a hornet’s nest said in an interview that he was “apprehensive” before making the remarks and it was “not easy.”

    He had called the Vivek Agnihotri directorial a “vulgar, propaganda film”, unfit to be a part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

    After the remarks, the film’s cast, including Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumaar and Anupam Kher slammed Nadav. He was also criticised by Israel’s Ambassador to India.

    In an interview with Israeli outlet Ynet, Nadav said he was struck by how blatantly the film adheres to the government line on Kashmir. Asked what went through his mind before he made his political statement, and if he knew that his words would cause a storm, he said, “I knew that this was an event that is terribly connected to the country, and everyone stands there and praises the government. It is not an easy position, because you are a guest, I am the president of the jury here, you are treated very nicely. And then you come and attack the festival. There was apprehension, and there was discomfort. I didn’t know what the dimensions would be, so I did it with some apprehension. Yes, I spent the day apprehensive. Let’s put it this way: I’m happy to be on my way to the airport now.”

    Nadav also said that it won’t come as a surprise if a film like “The Kashmir Files” is made in Israel in the next couple of years.

    Nadav said that people came up to him to thank him for what he said in the speech. “It was a hall with thousands of people, and everyone was ecstatic to see the local stars and cheer for the government. In countries that are increasingly losing the ability to speak your mind or speak the truth, someone needs to speak up. When I saw this movie, I couldn’t help but imagine its Israeli equivalent, which doesn’t exist but could definitely exist. So I felt I had to, because I come from a place that is itself not reformed and is itself on the way to these places,” he said.

    “The Kashmir Files”, despite receiving poor reviews, was lauded by the ruling party and was one of the biggest hits of 2022.

    (This article originally appeared on CinemaExpress.com)

    Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, whose comments against “The Kashmir Files” has stirred up a hornet’s nest said in an interview that he was “apprehensive” before making the remarks and it was “not easy.”

    He had called the Vivek Agnihotri directorial a “vulgar, propaganda film”, unfit to be a part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

    After the remarks, the film’s cast, including Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumaar and Anupam Kher slammed Nadav. He was also criticised by Israel’s Ambassador to India.

    In an interview with Israeli outlet Ynet, Nadav said he was struck by how blatantly the film adheres to the government line on Kashmir. Asked what went through his mind before he made his political statement, and if he knew that his words would cause a storm, he said, “I knew that this was an event that is terribly connected to the country, and everyone stands there and praises the government. It is not an easy position, because you are a guest, I am the president of the jury here, you are treated very nicely. And then you come and attack the festival. There was apprehension, and there was discomfort. I didn’t know what the dimensions would be, so I did it with some apprehension. Yes, I spent the day apprehensive. Let’s put it this way: I’m happy to be on my way to the airport now.”

    Nadav also said that it won’t come as a surprise if a film like “The Kashmir Files” is made in Israel in the next couple of years.

    Nadav said that people came up to him to thank him for what he said in the speech. “It was a hall with thousands of people, and everyone was ecstatic to see the local stars and cheer for the government. In countries that are increasingly losing the ability to speak your mind or speak the truth, someone needs to speak up. When I saw this movie, I couldn’t help but imagine its Israeli equivalent, which doesn’t exist but could definitely exist. So I felt I had to, because I come from a place that is itself not reformed and is itself on the way to these places,” he said.

    “The Kashmir Files”, despite receiving poor reviews, was lauded by the ruling party and was one of the biggest hits of 2022.

    (This article originally appeared on CinemaExpress.com)

  • Israeli director under fire for comments on ‘The Kashmir Files’, international jury says ‘personal opinion’ 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Israeli director and IFFI international jury chairperson Nadav Lapid was at the centre of furious debate on Tuesday for his comments on ‘The Kashmir Files’ with Israel’s ambassador saying he abused India’s invitation and jury members distancing themselves from his views.

    As the controversy grew, a day after the director described the ‘The Kashmir Files’ as “propaganda” and “vulgar”, BJP leaders, actors such as Anupam Kher and Ranvir Shorey and the film’s director Vivek Agnihotri also joined the discourse against him.

    There were some voices, including from the Congress and some in the film fraternity, who spoke up in his defence.

    Lapid’s surprise comments on the much-discussed film came at the closing ceremony of the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India on Monday attended by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur as well as actors Akshay Kumar and Asha Parekh.

    Agnihotri has compared ‘The Kashmir Files’, which portrays the exodus of Kashmir Pandits from the Valley due to militancy in the early 1990s, to Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust epic ‘Schindler’s List’.

    The 1993 Oscar winner was referenced by many people, including Israel Ambassador to India Naor Gilon who wrote an open letter put out in a series of tweets.

    “As a son of a holocaust survivor, I was extremely hurt to see reactions in India to you that are doubting Schindler’s List, the Holocaust and worse. I unequivocally condemn such statements. There is no justification. It does show the sensitivity of the Kashmir issue here,” he said.

    Gilon added that Lapid — who is viewed as an anti-establishment director — should be “ashamed” as he had “abused in the worst way” the Indian invitation to him to chair the panel of judges.

    ‘The Kashmir Files’, which polarised opinions following its release in March and went on to become a blockbuster hit, was screened at IFFI on November 22 as part of the Indian panorama section.

    Indian film director Sudipto Sen, who was part of the international film jury, distanced himself and other members from Lapid’s statement.

    “Whatever has been said by IFFI 2022 Jury Chairman Mr Nadav Lapid about the film Kashmir Files, from the stage of the closing ceremony of 53rd IFFI was completely his personal opinion,” Sen wrote in a note shared on Twitter.

    #IFFI #IFFI2022 @nfdcindia @ianuragthakur pic.twitter.com/GBhtw0tH6C
    — Sudipto SEN (@sudiptoSENtlm) November 28, 2022
    Sen said he and other jury members, including Spanish documentary filmmaker Javier Angulo Barturen and French film editor Pascale Chavance, made no mention of their “likes or dislikes”.

    Comments by Lapid were made in his “personal capacity”, he stressed.

    BJP’s Amit Malviya compared Lapid’s condemnation of ‘The Kashmir Files’ to the denial of the Holocaust.

    “For the longest time, people even denied the Holocaust and called Schindler’s List propaganda, just like some are doing to Kashmir Files. The truth eventually triumphs, no matter what,” the party’s IT department head said.

    His colleague, BJP’s Goa spokesperson Savio Rodrigues, said Lapid’s statement “is an insult to the horrors faced by Kashmir Hindus (in the past)”.

    “You can critique a film artistically but to term the truth about the brutality faced by the Kashmiri Pandits propaganda is shameful,” he added.

    Agnihotri also spoke about ‘truth’ in a cryptic media post and said “it is the most dangerous thing” as it can make people lie.

    Anupam Kher, who starred in “The Kashmir Files”, added that truth will always trump falsehood.

    He also shared a series of stills from “Schindler’s List”, a true life story about German industrialist Oskar Schindler who saved more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during World War II.

    His post also included a picture of himself in “The Kashmir Files”.

    Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit called on Union minister Thakur to seek “serious action” against Lapid and said choosing as international jury head was a lapse on the part of the festival organisers.

    “Dear @ianuragthakur ji . I as a #KashmiriPandit & who is a victim of genocide seek serious actn agnst Mr.#NadavLapid Jury head of IFFI 2022 fr calling d depiction of our tragedy as vulgar . Hs hs added salt to our wounds&hence shld b made to tender a apology . #KashmirFiles (sic),” he wrote.

    Dear @ianuragthakur ji .I as a #KashmiriPandit & who is a victim of genocide seek a serious actn agnst Mr. #NadavLapid Jury head of IFFI 2022 fr calling d depiction of our tragedy as vulgar .Hs hs added salt to our wounds&hence shld b made to tender a apology .#KashmirFiles
    — Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) November 28, 2022
    There were also some who spoke up for Paris-based Lapid, known for his award-winning film ‘Synonyms’ .

    Hate gets called out, eventually, said Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate.

    “PM Modi, his govt, BJP, the RW ecosystem feverishly promoted ‘The Kashmir Files’. A movie rejected by the International Film Festival Of India. Jury Head Nadav Lapid called it a “propaganda, vulgar movie – inappropriate for the film festival’,” Shrinate tweeted.

    Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi shared a video link of the Israeli filmmaker’s speech where he criticised “The Kashmir Files”.

    “A sensitive issue of justice for Kashmiri Pandits was sacrificed at the altar of propaganda. This is a must-listen segment at the #IFFIGoa2022,” Chaturvedi said.

    Actor Swara Bhasker, known for being unabashedly vocal about her opinions, shared a link to the news story about Lapid’s remarks at the closing ceremony of the film gala.

    “Apparently it’s pretty clear to the world..” Bhasker wrote in the caption.

    With Lapid’s comment, ‘The Kashmir Files’, written and directed by Agnihotri and produced by Zee Studios, is back in the news.

    The film was called out for its problematic politics by a section of critics and authors when it was released but performed exceptionally well at the box office by minting over Rs 330 crore.

    The movie also sparked debate among political parties after several BJP-ruled states, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, gave it an exemption from entertainment tax.

    NEW DELHI: Israeli director and IFFI international jury chairperson Nadav Lapid was at the centre of furious debate on Tuesday for his comments on ‘The Kashmir Files’ with Israel’s ambassador saying he abused India’s invitation and jury members distancing themselves from his views.

    As the controversy grew, a day after the director described the ‘The Kashmir Files’ as “propaganda” and “vulgar”, BJP leaders, actors such as Anupam Kher and Ranvir Shorey and the film’s director Vivek Agnihotri also joined the discourse against him.

    There were some voices, including from the Congress and some in the film fraternity, who spoke up in his defence.

    Lapid’s surprise comments on the much-discussed film came at the closing ceremony of the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India on Monday attended by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur as well as actors Akshay Kumar and Asha Parekh.

    Agnihotri has compared ‘The Kashmir Files’, which portrays the exodus of Kashmir Pandits from the Valley due to militancy in the early 1990s, to Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust epic ‘Schindler’s List’.

    The 1993 Oscar winner was referenced by many people, including Israel Ambassador to India Naor Gilon who wrote an open letter put out in a series of tweets.

    “As a son of a holocaust survivor, I was extremely hurt to see reactions in India to you that are doubting Schindler’s List, the Holocaust and worse. I unequivocally condemn such statements. There is no justification. It does show the sensitivity of the Kashmir issue here,” he said.

    Gilon added that Lapid — who is viewed as an anti-establishment director — should be “ashamed” as he had “abused in the worst way” the Indian invitation to him to chair the panel of judges.

    ‘The Kashmir Files’, which polarised opinions following its release in March and went on to become a blockbuster hit, was screened at IFFI on November 22 as part of the Indian panorama section.

    Indian film director Sudipto Sen, who was part of the international film jury, distanced himself and other members from Lapid’s statement.

    “Whatever has been said by IFFI 2022 Jury Chairman Mr Nadav Lapid about the film Kashmir Files, from the stage of the closing ceremony of 53rd IFFI was completely his personal opinion,” Sen wrote in a note shared on Twitter.

    #IFFI #IFFI2022 @nfdcindia @ianuragthakur pic.twitter.com/GBhtw0tH6C
    — Sudipto SEN (@sudiptoSENtlm) November 28, 2022
    Sen said he and other jury members, including Spanish documentary filmmaker Javier Angulo Barturen and French film editor Pascale Chavance, made no mention of their “likes or dislikes”.

    Comments by Lapid were made in his “personal capacity”, he stressed.

    BJP’s Amit Malviya compared Lapid’s condemnation of ‘The Kashmir Files’ to the denial of the Holocaust.

    “For the longest time, people even denied the Holocaust and called Schindler’s List propaganda, just like some are doing to Kashmir Files. The truth eventually triumphs, no matter what,” the party’s IT department head said.

    His colleague, BJP’s Goa spokesperson Savio Rodrigues, said Lapid’s statement “is an insult to the horrors faced by Kashmir Hindus (in the past)”.

    “You can critique a film artistically but to term the truth about the brutality faced by the Kashmiri Pandits propaganda is shameful,” he added.

    Agnihotri also spoke about ‘truth’ in a cryptic media post and said “it is the most dangerous thing” as it can make people lie.

    Anupam Kher, who starred in “The Kashmir Files”, added that truth will always trump falsehood.

    He also shared a series of stills from “Schindler’s List”, a true life story about German industrialist Oskar Schindler who saved more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during World War II.

    His post also included a picture of himself in “The Kashmir Files”.

    Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit called on Union minister Thakur to seek “serious action” against Lapid and said choosing as international jury head was a lapse on the part of the festival organisers.

    “Dear @ianuragthakur ji . I as a #KashmiriPandit & who is a victim of genocide seek serious actn agnst Mr.#NadavLapid Jury head of IFFI 2022 fr calling d depiction of our tragedy as vulgar . Hs hs added salt to our wounds&hence shld b made to tender a apology . #KashmirFiles (sic),” he wrote.

    Dear @ianuragthakur ji .
    I as a #KashmiriPandit & who is a victim of genocide seek a serious actn agnst Mr. #NadavLapid Jury head of IFFI 2022 fr calling d depiction of our tragedy as vulgar .
    Hs hs added salt to our wounds&hence shld b made to tender a apology .#KashmirFiles
    — Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) November 28, 2022
    There were also some who spoke up for Paris-based Lapid, known for his award-winning film ‘Synonyms’ .

    Hate gets called out, eventually, said Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate.

    “PM Modi, his govt, BJP, the RW ecosystem feverishly promoted ‘The Kashmir Files’. A movie rejected by the International Film Festival Of India. Jury Head Nadav Lapid called it a “propaganda, vulgar movie – inappropriate for the film festival’,” Shrinate tweeted.

    Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi shared a video link of the Israeli filmmaker’s speech where he criticised “The Kashmir Files”.

    “A sensitive issue of justice for Kashmiri Pandits was sacrificed at the altar of propaganda. This is a must-listen segment at the #IFFIGoa2022,” Chaturvedi said.

    Actor Swara Bhasker, known for being unabashedly vocal about her opinions, shared a link to the news story about Lapid’s remarks at the closing ceremony of the film gala.

    “Apparently it’s pretty clear to the world..” Bhasker wrote in the caption.

    With Lapid’s comment, ‘The Kashmir Files’, written and directed by Agnihotri and produced by Zee Studios, is back in the news.

    The film was called out for its problematic politics by a section of critics and authors when it was released but performed exceptionally well at the box office by minting over Rs 330 crore.

    The movie also sparked debate among political parties after several BJP-ruled states, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, gave it an exemption from entertainment tax.

  • 60,000 drawings makes ‘My Love Affair with Marriage’, screened at IFFI

    By IANS

    PANAJI: The animation film ‘My Love Affair with Marriage’ screened in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), currently underway in Goa, took seven years for completion using 60,000 drawings.

    Director and screenplay writer Signe Baumane, speaking on IFFI table talk, said that the story is inspired by her personal life.

    “I started writing the script in 2015. It took seven years to make this film. It is inspired by my personal life. I thought it was a dramatic and interesting story (to produce film),” she said.

    Signe Baumane said that she wanted to go to the bottom of knowing “what love is” and “Why do we fall in love”. “I thought I could use science as tool of objectivity to find out what is love. Love is such a subjective feeling…,” she said.

    She said that around 60,000 drawings were used to make this film.

    This 2022 animation drama uses music and science to examine the biological chemistry of love and gender, as well as the societal pressures on an individual to conform to social mores.

    It is a story of inner female rebellion, where a young spirited woman, Zelma, is determined to conform to the pressures of singing Mythology Sirens in order to be loved, but the more she conforms, the more her body resists.

    The film has already picked up two awards and six nominations in film festivals around the world.

    The creator Signe Baumane is a Latvian animator, artist, illustrator and writer, currently living and working in New York City. She has written, directed, designed and animated 16 shorts and two animated feature films.

    PANAJI: The animation film ‘My Love Affair with Marriage’ screened in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), currently underway in Goa, took seven years for completion using 60,000 drawings.

    Director and screenplay writer Signe Baumane, speaking on IFFI table talk, said that the story is inspired by her personal life.

    “I started writing the script in 2015. It took seven years to make this film. It is inspired by my personal life. I thought it was a dramatic and interesting story (to produce film),” she said.

    Signe Baumane said that she wanted to go to the bottom of knowing “what love is” and “Why do we fall in love”. “I thought I could use science as tool of objectivity to find out what is love. Love is such a subjective feeling…,” she said.

    She said that around 60,000 drawings were used to make this film.

    This 2022 animation drama uses music and science to examine the biological chemistry of love and gender, as well as the societal pressures on an individual to conform to social mores.

    It is a story of inner female rebellion, where a young spirited woman, Zelma, is determined to conform to the pressures of singing Mythology Sirens in order to be loved, but the more she conforms, the more her body resists.

    The film has already picked up two awards and six nominations in film festivals around the world.

    The creator Signe Baumane is a Latvian animator, artist, illustrator and writer, currently living and working in New York City. She has written, directed, designed and animated 16 shorts and two animated feature films.

  • First Dimasa language movie to open Indian Panorama at IFFI

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  During the nine-day-long 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at Goa, 25 Indian language feature films will be screened as part of Indian Panorama. 

    The jury has picked films for screening from a wide pool of 221 contemporary Indian films.

    Semkhor, the first-ever Dimasa language movie directed by Aimee Baruah, renowned actress of Assam, is the jury’s choice for the opening feature film of Indian Panorama 2021, announced the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Friday.

    The selected films will be showcased to all the registered delegates and representatives of the selected films.

    “The primary aim of the Indian Panorama is to select the feature and non-feature films of cinematic, thematic and aesthetic excellence for the promotion of film art through the non-profit screening of these films under different categories. Since its inception, the Indian Panorama has been completely devoted to showcasing the best Indian films of the year,” said the ministry.

    The jury, comprising 12 members, was headed by acclaimed filmmaker and actor SV Rajendra Singh Babu.

    The eminent jury panels, both feature and non-feature, exercise their individual expertise and contribute evenly to the consensus that leads to a selection of Indian Panorama films, the ministry added.

    The list of 25 feature films selected in the Indian Panorama 2021 comprises five Bengali, four Kannada, five Malayalam and two Hindi films.

    In the non-feature category, Indian Panorama of IFFI comprises a contemporary package of socially and aesthetically vibrant non-feature films.

    The non-feature film jury of seven members was headed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker S Nallamuthu.

    The panel selected 20 works from a pool of 203 contemporary Indian non-feature films.

    The jury’s choice for the opening non-feature film of Indian Panorama, 2021 is Ved…The Visionary  (English) directed by Rajiv Parkash.

  • Scorsese, Istvan Szabo to receive 1st Satyajit Ray award

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Acclaimed Hungarian film director Istvan Szabo, American filmmaker and actor Martin Scorsese will be conferred with the first Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at 52nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa next month.

    While Szabo is known for his masterpieces like Mephisto (1981) and Father (1966), Scorsese is one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential directors in film history.

    Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur made an announcement in this regard on Friday. The Ministry in April announced to organise year-long celebrations across India and abroad to mark his 100th birth anniversary. To recognise his legacy, the ministry also instituted ‘Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema’ starting this year.

    The ministry has made changes in the format of the festival. For the first time ever, IFFI has invited major OTT players to participate in the festival. The minister has informed that platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, Voot and Sony Liv are participating this year.

    Speaking about the development, Thakur said that the trend of watching movies on OTT is on the rise and IFFI is embracing new technology and providing a platform for the industry artists to interact with OTT players. The minister further announced that for the first time ever, films from five BRICS nations will be showcased through the BRICS Film Festival alongside IFFI.

    Around 30 films have been shortlisted for screening from prominent international film festivals in the festival kaleidoscope and world panorama section at the event. One of the attractions of the festival this year will be recognition to 75 ‘creative minds of tomorrow’, which is to mark 75 years celebration of India’s independence –Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.